Oakhill secrecy hearing

The Vindicator and 21 WFMJ-TV argued that filings in the Oakhill Renaissance criminal conspiracy case should be made available to the public at a special hearing in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court Monday, Dec. 6, 2010.
To avoid pretrial publicity he said might bias potential jurors, visiting Judge William Wolff Jr. ordered in September that all nonroutine documents in the case be filed under seal so he can screen them before making all or parts of them public.

Visiting Judge William H. Wolff Jr. held a hearing to hear arguments from The Vindicator and WFMJ-TV to make public documents under seal in the Oakhill Renaissance Place case. The judge is expected to make public documents under seal today.

Mahoning County Commissioner John McNally, Auditor Mike Sciortino and Joe Bell listen as attorneys made arguments Monday at the Mahoning County Courthouse during a the hearing on the Vindicator's and 21 WFMJ-TV's motion to unseal Oakhill criminal conspiracy case filings and on the Cafaro Co.'s motion to dismiss the indictment.

Marion H. Little Jr., an attorney for The Vindicator and WFMJ-TV, holds two notebooks of evidence during a Monday hearing. The newspaper and TV station objected to a judge’s decision to have documents in the Oakhill criminal case screened by him before making all or parts of them public.